Philosopher: St. Augustine

PRE-WRITING SCAFFOLD 9

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Augustine of Hippo

Annotated Journal Articles on Augustine of Hippo

Olson, J. (2014). Book Review: Happiness and Wisdom: Augustine’s Early Theology of Education. Journal of Education and Christian Belief, 18(1), 124–126. https://doi.org/10.1177/205699711401800128

The journal explores the ideology of Augustine’s theories on education. He believed that the senses should not be trusted as a source of knowledge; instead, educators should rely on reason, when religion and reason conflict, teachers must acknowledge that people bear the image of God in their rational nature, which can then be used as a means to connect them to God. The study of Plato should be a part of Christian education because the majority of Christian ideas can be found in his writings. Teachers should also relate to each student as a person and take into account their distinctive traits. The instructor, in Augustine's opinion, was essential to a successful, formative education. He stated that a student's enthusiasm for learning would be determined by the teacher's attitude and that effective teaching techniques were essential. He held that it was preferable to not teach than to do so ineffectively and unfavorably. In order to leave a lasting legacy, Augustine transcended his generation. His influence is still felt today. More than any other person, he molded the themes and identified the issues that have distinguished Western traditions of Christian theology. He had a significant impact on the development of Western thinking and society in the years that followed.

Drozdek. (2016). Augustine’s Socratic method. Studia Philosophiae Christianae., 52(1), 5–26. Drozdek (2016), dives into an exploration on those who had influences on Augustine. This gives an eye-opener to the different ways and thoughts that went into his own studies and findings. The importance of this article is to show that although Augustine was wise beyond his years, there were still many philosophers before him that had influence over him. This journal scopes in on how Socrates' influence on Augustine has rarely been acknowledged. When addressing Augustine's philosophy, the name of Socrates is frequently not even brought up, and if it is, his influence is almost never acknowledged. However, Platonist influence is always present recognized, especially the influence of Plato and Plotinus, starting from with Augustine, whose awakening to reality was caused by reading over their theories. However, Socrates had a huge influence, especially powerful at the start of Augustine's philosophical and theological growth, which is what this paper aims to demonstrate.

Sandin, R. T. (1987, July 1). One of the Best Teachers of the Church: Augustine on Teachers and Teaching. Christian History | Learn the History of Christianity & the Church. https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-15/one-of-best-teachers-of-church-augustine-on-teachers-and.html

Sandin (1987) explores Augustine’s true teachings. His concept has an impact on schooling in contemporary nations. He was a teacher's teacher; education penetrated every aspect of his life; and he had a significant impact on many later educational institutions. Sandin (1987) It also emphasizes how he taught rhetoric before transitioning into the role of teaching bishop. Many of his philosophical tenets were based on the text. The journal is incorporated into Augustine's writings. He contributed to or inspired a wide range of magazines and works of literature. The work, Augustine's educational philosophy and practice, was the main focus, though, and it was the doctrine On Christian Doctrine that he formed in 396. Augustine believed that pupils should be proficient in the natural world, mathematics, and music. To counter mystical or superstitious interpretations of biblical stories, they must be educated in science. He claims that when he tackled reading Scripture with a reasonable mindset. The reverence Augustine had for the Bible is well known. (Sandin, 1987) It takes faith, according to Augustine, to comprehend biblical truth. "You don't have to believe to understand; you have to believe to understand," He criticizes both the rationalism that excludes faith and the fideism that despises reason. According to Augustine, there cannot be a division between faith and reason, between the illumination of the mind and the purification of the heart, between the humble allegiance to the truth and the complete surrender to the peace of Christ (Sandin,1987).

Synthesis of Articles on Augustine of Hippo

These three articles prove a pivotal point on how Augustine’s philosophies have played a part in to modern day education. Today in education, educators all over the world are trained on classroom procedures and models on what “works” in classroom. However, Augustine knew that a one-size fits all model wouldn’t work for every learning environment. Which is why it is believed that he didn’t focus on the learned but more so the teacher. Augustine had a very powerful goal of education. He thought that education was equivalent to happiness. He believes in sheer hard thinking in young people. Students should learn to value their own intellectual powers. "It is easy to be ignorant," he says, "learning always requires effort." School instruction alone is insufficient, for that merely gives knowledge from the outside of things. Students need to be critical thinkers, and to question everything with a serious purpose; they should in fact become their own teachers. Augustine says, "Reach to truth yourself.” (Yogis, 2014).

Preliminary Thesis Statement: Augustine of Hippo

Augustin of Hippo the great philosopher, who has provided wisdom and influence on modern day education. Today’s education would not be what it is today without the influential works of Augustine of Hippo. Augustine believed that there were certain expectations that were needed in the classroom for a positive learning experience.

How did the war of poverty effect education?

Annotated Journal Articles on LBJ and the War against poverty

Lynch, M. (2016, September 2). The 20th Century and Education’s War on Poverty - The Edvocate. The Edvocate. https://www.theedadvocate.org/20th-century-educations-war-poverty/

This journal focuses in on one of the main tenets of President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty" was the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (McLaughlin, 1975). His bill marked a historic commitment to ensuring that all people have access to high-quality education and moved education to the forefront of the country's fight against poverty (Jeffrey, 1978). The act's appropriations were to be used for five fiscal years after it was signed into law on April 9, 1965. Since the law's passage, the government has reauthorized it every five years. As predicted by many opposed to federal funding, the first five years of the ESEA's implementation revealed certain underlying problems with the law's treatment of money, religion, racism, and federal-state-local interactions. The initial expectation was that after receiving funding, school systems would undergo transformation and actively engage with the kids who had previously been neglected by the system. While NCLB contributed to reducing achievement gaps and requiring transparency, it also had a number of negative effects. The law encouraged states to lower their standards, placed more emphasis on punishing failure than rewarding success, placed more emphasis on test scores than growth and progress, and called for a pass-fail, all-encompassing set of interventions for schools that don't meet their state-set objectives (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). Under President Barack Obama, ESEA was renewed on December 10, 2015 as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Brooks-Gunn, J., & Duncan, G. J. (1997). The Effects of Poverty on Children. The Future of Children, 7(2), 55. https://doi.org/10.2307/1602387

This journal focuses on a latest set of studies that thoroughly examine the link between child outcomes and poverty. All other things being equal, it appears that children who live in extreme poverty or who have lived below the poverty line for a long period of time suffer the worst outcomes. For several child outcomes, the timing of poverty also seems to be significant. The percentages of school completion are lower for kids who experience poverty in their preschool and early school years than for kids and teenagers who only encounter it later in life. the idea of potential laws intended to stop either the causes of the effects of economic hardship. Even after taking into account other variations between low- and high-income households, such as family structure and mother education, it has been demonstrated that family income and poverty status are significant predictors of children's cognitive development and behavior. Studies have underlined that poverty is a state that changes over time and is directly tied to experienced events that would influence the likelihood of becoming poor in the future rather than a condition that only depends on the country's existing economic and social conditions (Hoy and Zheng, 2011; Bossert et al., 2012).

Powell, A. C. (1965). The Role of Education in the War Against Poverty. The Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, 49(299), 56–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/019263656504929906

The journal dives into how Lyndon B. Johnson's government introduced the comprehensive social welfare law known as the "War on Poverty" in the 1960s with the goal of eradicating poverty in the country. In January 1964, Johnson declared a "unconditional war on poverty." "The cause may lie deeper in our failure to give our fellow citizens a fair chance to develop their own capacities," he said, "in a lack of education and training, in a lack of medical care and housing, in a lack of decent communities in which to live and raise their children." He identified the cause of poverty as a societal failure rather than the personal moral failings of the poor. Several of the key initiatives of the War on Poverty persisted long beyond the 1960s, although its legacy is still debatable. Johnson's attempts failed to significantly lower the rate of poverty.

Synthesis of Articles on LBJ and the War against poverty

These articles focus on the beginning and the outcomes of how poverty has a lasting effect on education. It is noted that a sizable portion of the population has yet to experience the postwar affluence when the 1960s got underway. Almost 20% of the country's population, according to the President's Council of Economic Advisors, were considered to be living in poverty in 1962. President Lyndon B. Johnson proposed legislation to fund social welfare programs in a number of areas, including education, because he thought that the government should take a more active role in eradicating poverty. The War on Poverty was founded on the fundamental idea that education was crucial to ending poverty. Vocational education programs and technical trainings in high school and postsecondary institutions were financially supported by the Vocational Education Act of 1963, a key piece of legislation. Every national attempt to involve schools in efforts to better society must have the support of the president.

Preliminary Thesis Statement: LBJ and the War against poverty

The war on poverty had many pro’s and con’s in America. During the years of 1963 and 1969,many saw a huge increase in financial support to close the socioeconomic gap in education.

References

Jeffrey, J. (1978). Education for children of the poor: A study of the origins and implementation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.

McLaughlin, M. (1975). Evaluation and reform: The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Title I. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Ballinger Publishing Company

U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). What is ESEA? [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://blog.ed.gov/2015/04/what-is-esea/